MagicTalk Phone Review - Stand Alone magicJack App Software

Magictalk is no longer available for download or use. Instead you can continue to get magicJack telephone service by either purchasing one of the devices or simply downloading their smartphone app for any IOS device, iPod, iPhone, iPad or Android device. Although a good idea it came about right around the explosion of smartphones and never really took off. 

What Is MagicTalk?

It is a 100% software based program from makers of the magicJack and magicJack plus. This new software program is free to download and offers its users free local, long distance, and international calling to all magicJack users along with free incoming calls from land lines and cell phones. However, in order to make outgoing calls to cell phones and land lines you must upgrade from the basic to preferred service. It costs just $19.95 for a full year of unlimited local and long distance calls to the United States and Canada.

How Is It Different From Magic Jack?

The primary difference is that it is not a device but merely a software program. This of course means that you are unable to hook up a regular phone and therefore all calls are made directly from your computer screen. Since there is no device to purchase they are offering some free services. This includes unlimited free calls to any magicJack or magicTalk user along with free incoming calls from cell phones and land lines. As state above, in order to be able to place outgoing calls to non magicJack numbers you must upgrade for just $19.95 for each year of unlimited service to all United States and Canadian numbers.

Is There An App For Smartphones?

Yes! They have an app that will be released very shortly for Android phones, Iphone, Blackberry, Ipad, and other smartphones. This app will allow users to make free phones calls via their cell phone whenever they have a wifi connection. All they have to do is make their call directly through the app. The app is expected to be free and provide the same basic membership that the computer based program offers with the need for an upgrade to a preferred membership for all outgoing calls to non magic Jack numbers.

What Is The Benefit Of magicTalk Over One Of The Other Devices From The Company?
Many they want to get one of the devices and have a full set of features but for those that are simply looking for a very minimalist version of magicJack this could be right for them. The main advantage of course being that it can be used totally free of charge as a way to make calls. This can come in handy for those without a lot of money and no phone or even for those with a cell phone that simply want to save their limited minutes.

The MagicTalk Bottom Line
It is an interesting twist and adds to the suite of already powerful magicJack products. It is essentially a PC softphone that can be used to make calls without ever having to actually use a phone of any sorts. You can't beat free and that's what they are offering with this new software program. The free service does have its limitations but it could be a great way to save cell phone minutes while at home. 

Digital Stream DSP7500T Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

Product Rating: 1.5

This TV converter has been known to have SD display issues and also many reception issues. Reception issues are common among all converter boxes however, and a good digital antenna will fix this problem. This product has now been upgraded to include analog pass-through and renamed/branded as the Digital Stream DSP7700T.

Product Details: It has been reported that it has a picture quality that is better than that of analog TV but was still a notch below others, putting it in the ever common "2nd tier". When watching SD content there was an obvious blurring and stretching of images but its HDTV picture quality is excellent. The sound quality this provides is comparable to that of the top converter boxes on the market, which is a significant upgrade over average analog broadcast sounds. Currently it is no longer available and we recommend the Tivax STB-T8 as a replacement.

Features: One thing it does have that is better than most is one of the best programming guides available. If this is the most important feature to you then perhaps you should consider it. Its program guide displays the show title, run time, and a brief summary of the show. It also shows all of this same information for the upcoming several hours of programming. Most others only show the upcoming show titles and don't provide any type of description. It also allows its users to use the auto scan function or individually tune channels to their liking. Lastly, a rare feature that we saw here is an on screen signal strength meter to helps assist users in tuning a channel. This converter box does not come with analog pass-through.

Overall it comes with good sound quality but is lacking good SD picture quality and analog pass-through. We do not recommend it and suggest that you instead look at alternatives from our list of the best TV converter boxes.

Update December 2013

Real User Reviews: As you can see from the users experiences below this model is no exception to the rule with Digital Stream. It seems that all versions have the same defect and ultimately fail. We'd steer clear of anything by this company until they address the issue.

Mark Said...

"I bought two in May of 2008. The first one died 4/15/2010, the second one died today 8/23/2010. When I called Digital Stream in April 2010, they couldn't have been less interested. They said they would repair it for $30 if I sent it in at my expense, but no guarantees. That means I would be out the $30 whether they could fix it or not. I chose not to. 

In support of this product, the picture was clearer than analog tv, the program listing feature works better than my other converter box (more information). But I would recommend you stay clear of Digital Stream anything as it appears all of them fail eventually."

John Said...

"I had 2 boxes and one broke (my fault). The second one had the same problem everyone else is having, the flashing green light. I saved the broken one and decided to open them both up. I could see that the one with the flashing green light had a component that was burnt out so I replaced it with the same component from the first box and it worked...for about 6 months. I am now finding out that the component piece is an electrolytic capacitor and costs about $2. It's pretty easy to replace, so I'm going to buy another capacitor. You shouldn't have to do this every 6 months. I would definitely go with a different brand next time."

Specs
V-Chip Parental Control Setting
Configurable Closed Captioning
Electronic Program Guide
Sleep Timer
Energy Star Compliant
English, French, and Spanish Language Support
Compact Size
75 ohm Connector

What Is Included With Your Purchase?
Converter Box
Universal Remote Control
Remote Control Batteries
Coaxial Cable

MagicJack Plus Phone Review: Is magicJack Plus Legit Or A Scam?

What Is The magicJack plus?

The magicJack Plus is another groundbreaking release brought to us by Vocaltec (formerly known as Ymax). In regards to its basic functions it is exactly the same as the original magic Jack. It works via VoIP and comes with unlimited local and long distance calling. Like its predecessor it can also be taken anywhere that you can access your computer and can be used to make calls from anywhere in the world back to the United States and Canada. Despite its seeming similarities there are several striking differences that make the magicJack plus a much better version of its younger sibling.

For those that don't already know the original magic Jack is a USB VoIP telephone device that hooks into a computer on one end and a regular telephone on the other end in order to provide its users with a home based telephone line. In regards to overall function it is exactly the same as a traditional landline with the only difference being its 'behind the scenes' technology. The magic Jack was and still is immensely popular with over 10 million units sold and has been coined by Ymax for its unlimited local and long distance calling at an absurdly low price of only $19.95 per year.

So What's Different About The MagicJack Plus?

The primary difference is that the magicJack plus does not require a computer in order to work. The original magic Jack was a USB dongle and had to be hooked up to a computer in order for it to work. With the magic Jack plus however you get a stand alone device that works by hooking directly into your routers Ethernet port (although it can also be used in exactly the same manner as the old magic Jack if you so choose). Initial rumors suggested that it would work via wi-fi but this feature didn't make it in the final design.

Besides the preceding chief difference magicJack plus has also received two key upgrades that are sure to eliminate most complaints regarding sound quality that some have become accustomed to with the old jack. These new features include HD Voice and Echo Control software which have both been vigorously developed by magic Jack due to their desire to provide not only the cheapest but also highest quality VoIP phone service in the world.

What Do These Differences Mean For Magic Jack?

These differences may not seem huge but they actually address the biggest concerns that consumers have had with the original magic Jack. The original magic Jack's reliance on a computer often made for tricky situations. One troublesome issue is that for the original magic Jack to ring through you had to have your computer on 24/7 otherwise it would simply forward to voicemail. Many people were unwilling to deal with this due to the potential for no telephone if there was an electrical outage, the strains it puts on ones computer, and the potential power wasted.

Another major point of contention for current and potential magic Jack users was its issues with sound quality and frequent echoing. Magic Jack knew that they had a good enough product (evidenced by its 10 million units sold) but that it could be better so they added the HD voice and echo control in order to further eliminate call quality problems. With these upgrades the company goes as far as to claim that their call quality is now better than that of all cell phones and maybe even better than landline quality.

How Much Does The New And Improved MagicJackPlus Cost?

The official magicJack Plus website says it will cost $69.95 for the device and one year of telephone service with all subsequent years of service costing just $29.95. This is a $10 price increase for yearly service but well worth it when you consider the upgrades you get with it. Consumers can also buy device insurance for $10 and port their number over for a one-time fee of $20.

Is The MagicJack Plus Easy To Install And Use?

It just might be the simplest VoIP telephone device ever, plug and play at its finest! All you have to do is hook it up to your computer to register an account and phone number and then into your telephone via the RJ-11 phone jack port on one end and into your router via Ethernet on the other end and you are ready to go all within 30 seconds.

The MagicJack Plus Bottom Line

The magicJack Plus is an absolutely amazing product at a totally ridiculous price. We said before that we thought the original magic Jack was an awesome product even with its flaws and the new magicJack plus is ridiculous when you consider that its upgrades have addressed nearly every issue that its users previously had. At a price of only $69.95 for the device and a year of service with renewals costing only $29.95 everybody that has a home phone should at last give the magicJack plus a try. For more info read all of the user reviews and comments below and you should get a feel for the quality of the device.

TV Converter Box Problems: A Look At The Digital Transition A Year Later

With the digital transition having come and gone quite some time ago we felt it was appropriate to report on how converter boxes have been working out for people and the news is not great. It's actually quite an unfortunate circumstance and it appears that a lot of electronics manufacturers took advantage of the fact that the transition was mandatory and the government was funding the purchase of converter boxes. These manufacturers knew that all they had to do was create a box that met the bare minimum features required to be accepted into the government coupon program and then watch the dollars roll in. The result was a lot of very low quality, cheap converter boxes that just met the minimum standards required by the government. And naturally consumers thought, if it's approved by the government it must be good right? Wrong! Many of these boxes have been horrible in terms of long term reliability due to how cheaply they were made.

We have been getting comments daily telling us about how certain converter boxes are broken or rarely work properly and this is quite troubling to us. It appears as though a lot of these electronics companies just put a piece of crap converter box together without extensive testing and then produced as many as possible as quickly as possible simply to make some quick cash off the government. These companies knew that people were getting coupons that allowed them to get the boxes for free and that these coupons would expired before anyone could compile true long term performance tests on their converter boxes. The result is that a bunch of people ended up purchasing crappy boxes that aren't lasting for the long haul.

Unfortunately now many Americans are left with cheap, broken converter boxes that no longer work or only work half the time. As a result these people are being forced to go out an spend their own money on new converter boxes only to have them be the same cheap ones as before and have them break again. This is of course because demand for converter boxes has dropped greatly and it's really hard to find one of the good ones in stock.

So the question begs to be answered then... What should Americans with these bad converter boxes do? The best solution we have is to save up your money and buy a new TV that has a digital tuner built into it. It may have to be small one if you are on a limited budget or perhaps you could find a used digital TV. Unfortunately if you can't afford a new TV you'll likely have to deal with a sub par converter box. That is of course unless you were one of the lucky ones that happened to purchase one of the best boxes.

We would like to hear from all of our readers in order to compile a list of converter boxes that are consistently working as they are suppose to and also a list of ones that aren't. In order to do this though we will need lost of comments because we of course can't rely on one persons experience with a converter box in order to categorize it either way.

I can say with strong certainty however that the Tivax STB-T8, Tivax STB-T9, Channel Master CM-7000, and all Dish Network converter boxes seem to be working quite well. We had a ton of readers purchase them through our recommended channels with very few of them contacting us to complain about their quality.